ISTANBUL – Turkish news agencies say that a court in Istanbul sentenced 244 people to jail for their involvement in anti-government street protests that rocked the country in 2013.

The private Dohan News Agency says the sentences ranged from two and a half months to over a year for offenses including damaging public property and taking part in illegal demonstrations. Among those facing jail time are four doctors who treated protesters for injuries inside an Istanbul mosque. They were convicted of polluting the mosque.

Hundreds of thousands of Turks took to the streets denouncing the government's autocratic leadership in May and June 2013. The protests were initially sparked by opposition to government plans to uproot trees at a park. Thousands were wounded and at least 12 people died in the protests.

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